A Syrian flag flutters in Damascus, Syria on April 20, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Ali Hashisho.

JNS.org – Three Syrian soldiers were killed early on Thursday morning by an Israeli airstrike in the Damascus area, according to Syrian state media.

A Syrian military source told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that a barrage of missiles had been launched from northern Israel at approximately 1 am, triggering Syrian air defenses. The strike caused “some material losses,” the source said.

The attack is the second attributed to Israel in the past 36 hours. Israeli missiles struck targets near Quneitra in southwestern Syria early on Wednesday morning, according to SANA, causing damage but no casualties. Lebanese media reported that the attack had targeted a military position near the villages of Madinat al-Baath and Rwihinah, used both by Syrian forces and Iran-backed militias.

According to the UK-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which has sources on the ground in Syria, Hezbollah, the Ba’ath militia and other militias affiliated with Iran are known to be active in these areas.

Thursday’s incident was the sixth attack in Syria attributed to Israel since the beginning of the year.